Good Information Articles

The Never-Ending Quest for Home Business Success

When most of us dive into our first home business venture, we are filled with visions of wealth, comfort, security and freedom. We have a general idea of where we'd like to end up financially, and we work hard to get there. Some of us make it there quickly, while others may take a little longer. But at what point would we consider ourselves to be "successful?" Once we're earning a million dollars a year? Once we can afford that mansion we've had our eye on? Once we're wearing designer clothing? Of course, success means different things to different people.

Perhaps to you, success means earning a little extra money to help with household extras. To me it might mean earning more. To someone else, success might have nothing to do with money at all. They might strive for professional or personal accomplishments. The meaning of success can vary from person to person, as can our beliefs about what it takes to truly be successful.

I had an interesting experience last week. I submitted a request for work at home success stories to be featured on my website, and the response was quite surprising. Not one response. That's right, zero! I submitted this request to several popular work-at-home communities, and I purposely placed no restrictions on what "success" meant. I was quite surprised by the lack of response. Are there NO work at home successes out there? I don't believe that for a minute; I know there are many, MANY people working successfully from home. So why wouldn't they want to be featured? What could prevent them from believing they qualify as a "success story?"

Income - Many of us don't feel "successful" until we're raking in massive amounts of money and can afford to buy whatever we want without glancing at the price tag. While money is certainly one measure of success, it isn't the only one. Most of us have an idea of how much we'd like to be earning from our home businesses, but does it mean we're not successful until we reach that point? Of course not! We can be successful regardless of how much we earn. Just because you are earning $500 a month instead of $50,000 doesn't mean you're not a success. In order to earn $50,000, you must first earn $500!

Status - If we haven't quite reached the "level" we're striving for in our home businesses, we may not allow ourselves to feel like a success. "Once I get 1,000 customers, then I'll be successful," we say. Or once we get 100,000 subscribers to our newsletter, or hire our first employees. Whatever status we're trying to reach, we place requirements upon ourselves and won't consider ourselves successful until we meet them. The problem with this is that home businesses (or businesses in general) are not static. We don't just "get there" and then call it good. We will always be striving to gain more customers, recruit more agents, sell more products, earn more money, set goals and reach them. We will always be pushing ourselves to do more, be more. This is a good thing!

Perfectionism - We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else. Does one little thing keep you from feeling like a success? Perhaps you're earning as much as you want to with your home business, but there are also things you struggle with. Like organization, finances, or coming up with new ideas and seeing them through. Rather than thinking of yourself as successful, you allow those little things you don't do perfectly to hold you back. You berate yourself, "I would be successful if it wasn't for my messy filing system!" or "Will I ever learn how to do this right?" No one is perfect. We all have things we're good at, and other things we're not so good at. Accept that about yourself. It's really not important to do everything so perfectly. We can only do our best and have fun with it.

Modesty - It's true that no one likes a braggart. Perhaps the people who read my request didn't want to appear boastful or conceited by submitting a success story. While modesty is a good thing, is it possible to carry it too far? Does being modest mean we can't take pride in our own accomplishments? Does it mean we have to hide our success? No. There is a very big difference between sharing our success and bragging about it. Braggers try to make themselves appear better than others and put themselves up on a pedestal, while people who share their success in a genuine way strive to inspire others. By sharing our successes, we encourage people to make their own success stories! We demonstrate that it is indeed possible to be successful working from home. What a gift that is!

You may be surprised to learn the actual definition of Success: 1) a favorable result; 2) the gaining of wealth, fame, etc. Most of us use the second definition more often than the first. But take a close look at that first definition. A favorable result. How easy is it to attain a favorable result? Very! Just because your results may not be as large as you'd like them to be doesn't mean you're not successful. If you've attained ANY favorable results, you are a Success!

The most important aspect of success is believing we deserve it. So many of us struggle with worthiness issues. Some of us were told as children that we'd never amount to anything; we internalized that message and continue to carry it with us to this day. Others might be afraid to try because we've never felt quite "good enough." As soon as we start working toward our goals, self-doubts come creeping in and our inner critic starts harping at us: "Who are you kidding? You don't have what it takes to be successful. Just give it up and get a real job!" So we sabotage ourselves, create obstacles to block our way, and continue our never-ending quest for success.

The truth is, we will only be as successful as we ALLOW ourselves to be. The human mind has amazing power. Whatever we consistently tell ourselves is what we will create in our lives. If we don't believe we deserve success, we will avoid it (even though we trick ourselves into believing we're working toward it). If we tell ourselves we're not good enough, we will act in ways that prevent good things from happening to us. The good news is that this also works in reverse. If we tell ourselves we're successful, we will be. If we keep affirming that we're good enough, strong enough, capable enough, we will be. Think about the significance of that. It means it's ALL WITHIN OUR CONTROL. Whatever we want to be, we can.

Don't be afraid to embrace your success, no matter how small you perceive it to be. Remember, any favorable result equals Success!

Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer who has been successfully working from home since 2003. In 2005 she launched http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com, a community and resource center for home-based professionals, and those who aspire to be. Visit today for tools, tips and information on how you can create your own home-based career, or further improve the one you already have!

To submit your own Work at Home Success Story, visit: http://www.creativeworkathome.com/success-stories/.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

Sales of Children's Travel Bed Soar as Summer Travel Hits
Gentle Air has seen an increase in summer travel sales due to hotels at popular summer attractions charging high prices for rollaway beds and cots.

Home Based Internet Marketing Business - Staying Organized In Your Home Office
When working from home there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find things when you need them. While most home business entrepreneurs see themselves as never having any time, you have to spend some of your time to organize things. If you can't daily, you should at least try for once a week, you should set aside some time to put things where it should be. Allot of people have a saying that there is a spot for everything and everything must be in its assigned place.

Family Circus - Make Time For Family With An Internet Business
Sometimes, it seems like you don?t have a full 24 hours in a day. Between work, family, and sleep, there is no time for anything else. You never seem to have five minutes to relax, and on days when work requires overtime, you lose time with your family. In fact, it seems you never spend quality time with your children anymore. One way to get your life back under your control and manage time better is to start your own internet business. With an online business opportunity, you can decrease your work hours overall, as well as become more flexible and available for your family.

Work From Home - Online Resource Center for Home Based Online Jobs and Internet Based Business
Welcome to Work from Home?s ?an online guide and resource website to help you Start and grow your Home based Job and Business. Please note that we are only offering information on Work from Home Jobs and Business opportunities. We are not offering you a job or a business tie-up. Please read through the website as you will find valuable information and resources to start and grow your home based business. www.homebasedonlinejobs.com

Internet Marketing Business - Your Home Based Internet Marketing Business and the Freedom Attached with it
There are various reasons why there are many individuals who want to start their own home-based Internet marketing business. Some are saying that the amount of money that they are earning from Internet marketing is higher compared to their monthly salary from their regular work. It even comes to a point that they are earning money similar to or more than the salary of their managers and department heads! This is relatively true, since there are Internet marketers who are earning as much as a hundred thousands of dollars within a month.

Internet Based Business: How Single Parents Could Earn Extra Income For The Entire Family
Are you a single parent who has been trying to support your children on a single income? If you have been having so much trouble making both ends meet with your present income, you might want to earn some extra money by setting up an internet based business. A big family with children can be very expensive and you definitely will need to earn some extra money to keep everyone comfortable. Having some extra money could really do wonders for you and your small children so you better start exploring other means of getting extra money for your children through an internet based business.

New Home Based Travel Businesses and Training Available for Retirees and Work-At-Home Parents
Affordable training is now being offered for those wishing to set up their own home based travel businesses. Program offers participants everything they need to get started quickly and affordably in this exciting market.

Home Internet Business Opportunities: Reinvent Your Family
Think about your daily job, daily responsibilities, time spent at meetings, driving your kids to this activity and that sporting event, meal planning and preparation, house cleaning, on and on with our grossly busy lives, and what time is left for our family? Do you really think that 9-5 JOB is the answer to all of our hopes and dreams? Do you really think it was our personal goal to spend the majority of our lives at work? When was the last time you saw your son/daughter play in that school volleyball game or run in their cross country meet? Isn?t it time to put your family first?

Children's Home Society & Family Services Receives Reaccreditation to Once Again Facilitate Adoptions in Russia
Children's Home Society & Family Services, a Minnesota-based international adoption service provider, announced today it has been re-accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to facilitate adoptions in that country.

Family Travel at its Finest - European Villa Rentals Perfect for the Whole Family
Parents can easily find family friendly villa rentals in Europe with Rentvillas.com.

Travel Insurance When Pregnant Or Traveling With Children
There was a time when pregnant women would avoid traveling altogether, but these days women don't let pregnancy stop them from going abroad and having fun. Only you can decide whether the pros outweigh the cons when travelling while pregnant or with small children.

Families Mourning Children Travel to Nashville for July Compassionate Friends National Conference
The Compassionate Friends self-help support organization for families going through the natural grieving process following the death of a child is hosting its 31st national conference July 18-20 in Nashville, Tennessee. More than 1300 parents, siblings, and grandparents, as well as professionals who provide support, are expected to attend the conference. Highlights include well-known speakers, more than 100 workshops covering most aspects of grief following the death, a pre-conference Professional Outreach Day, and the Walk to Remember Sunday July 20 at 8 a.m. This conference is annually the largest in the United States aimed specifically for those left behind following the death of a child.

Making Time For Your Family and a New Internet Home Business
Starting your own internet home business can be a very fulfilling experience. It offers many new and exciting challenges, with the hopes of providing financial security for you and your family.

Work At Home Internet Home Business Opportunity
There are various opportunities for work at home Internet home business opportunities on the Internet Because of the Internet, there are many opportunities for people to be able to take care of their families and work from home and as well